The 2016 postseason has been good to the Cleveland Cavaliers thus far, as they are 8-0 and have swept their way into the eastern conference finals for the 2nd consecutive season.
LeBron is playing like LeBron, Kevin Love is showing what the Cavs were missing after his injury in Round 1 of the 2015 playoffs (we will never forget Kelly Olynk) Kyrie Irving seems to have found his rhythm again after his knee injury in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, and the Cavs role players are absolutely scorching from downtown.
The player who may be scorching the most though is veteran stretch four, Channing Frye.
After not garnering many minutes in the Cavaliers 1st round series with the Detroit Pistons, Frye exploded in the 2nd round, averaging just under 16 points per game in 19 minutes per game in games 2, 3 and 4. He is shooting 61 percent from the field, 51 percent from three-point range and has a ridiculous effective field goal percentage of 79.4% which means he is basically hitting almost all of his “makeable” shots.
He is a big reason why the Cavaliers are shooting a ridiculous 46 percent from three-point range through 8 games and have hit an average of 17 three per game this postseason.
This is the reason the Cavaliers are managing to average just under 108 point per game this postseason despite their slower pace of only 91.8 possessions per game which is 14th out of the 16 teams who made the postseason this year.
The Cavs offensive rating is an astronomical 117, which means they are scoring 117 points per 100 possessions, basically 1.2 points every time they come down the floor. Channing’s ability to stretch the floor and knock down open jump shots as he swings the ball to other shooters has allowed for the Cavaliers bevy of three point marksmen to have a field day against the Hawks.
The Cavaliers are a plus 28 with Channing Frye on the floor this postseason.
A traditionally iso-heavy team that had a tendency to go stale at times during the regular season as players would stand around and watch LeBron or Irving go to work, is now whipping the ball around like the Spurs or Warriors and creating more open shots for their bevy of talented offensive players. It is unlocking a new gear that is allowing the Cavs to reach the level the Warriors and Spurs have been operating at all season.
A lineup featuring Irving-Smith-LeBron-Love-Frye is virtually unguardable. You have four quality three-point shooters to surround LeBron James and open up the lane for him and Irving to get to the rim as the opposing teams bigs are brought out of the paint with the threat of Channing Frye, Kevin Love or J.R. Smith knocking down an open three from all areas of the court.
This may be the only lineup in the NBA that could keep up with the firepower of the Warriors small-ball death lineup with a healthy Steph Curry featuring Draymond Green at the five.
All season the perception has been that the 2016 NBA championship was a two-team battle between the Warriors and Spurs and rightfully so with their historically great play, but an overlooked move at the trade deadline to acquire a 32-year-old role player who was toiling away on the bench in Orlando may have helped unlocked the offensive potential of the Cavaliers to make them a series contender to actually win the whole thing.
